Variable speed attachment for carding machines



March 29, 1966 c. w. SCHWALM VARIABLE SPEED ATTACHMENT FOR CARDINGMACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 30, 1964 INVENTOR. CLAIR W4 SCHWALMATTYS.

C- W. SCHWALM March 29, 1966 VARIABLE SPEED ATTACHMENT FOR CARDINGMACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1964 FIGA.

FIG. 7.

INVENTORZ CLAIR w. SCHWALM WW ATTYS United States Patent Q 3,242,749VARIABLE SPEED ATTACHMENT FOR CARDING MACHINES Clair W. Schwaim,Greenville, S.C., assignor to Benjamin Booth Company, Philadelphia, Pa.,a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 341,369 6Claims. '(Cl. 74230.17)

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Serial No.277,381, filed May 1, 1963, now abandoned.

This invention relates to an improved means for driving the doffer of acotton card adapted to be installed as an attachment to a conventionalcard.

More specifically, the attachment of the present invention provides ameans for remotely controlling the production rate of the machinethrough a continuous range of speeds, but with fixed maximum and minimumspeeds as limits to the aforementioned range.

On a cotton card, the production rate is in direct proportion to therotational speed of the dolfer. If the rotational speed of the doifer isdoubled, the production rate of the machine is as a consequence alsodoubled.

Developments in the art and increased production demands now requiredoifer speeds in excess of 30 rpm. which corresponds to a productionrate of approximately 42 pounds of fibers per hour. At these speeds, theshock of engagement between the change gear and dofier causes gear toothbreakage. Furthermore, putting up the end, the manual task of threadingthe output fiber web or sliver into the calender roll section of thecard and the card coiler, is made virtually impossible, at these higherspeeds.

According to the present invention, a variable speed attachment isprovided which enables the machine tender to slow the dofier speed andproduction to a fraction of the normal rate. The device may becontrolled by a treadle conveniently located at the front of the cardwhere the machine tender must stand while performing the manual task ofputting up the end, or starting and stopping rotation of the doffer.Thus, it becomes possible for the operator to slow the speed of thedrive sufficiently that the production change gear may be safely engagedwith the dolfer gear. The production rate is slowed sufiiciently that anormally proficient machine tender can put up the end. The use of a footactuated control, frees both of the machine tenders hands to performthis task which is normally a two-handed task. The end is normally putup with the doffer turning, and the card in production in order that theflow of fibers from the doffer be continuous and unbroken. If the dofferis allowed to stop, the Web of fibers normally is broken.

As another feature, the invention allows the upper speed limit of thecard to be altered and preset by an adjusting screw, whereas formerly itwas necessary to change gears to effect speed changes.

Also, the invention provides for automatic return to the preset upperspeed limit as soon as the machine tenders foot is removed from thetreadle, thereby obviating the possibility that the machine be allowedto remain in the slow mode of operation for an extended period of time,due either to machine tender neglect or forgetfulness.

The attachment may be readily and easily attached to the frame ofconventional cards and no modification of the barrow pulley productionchange gear assembly or its bearing stud is required.

These and other objects and features of the invention 'ice arehereinafter fully set forth and described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a conventional cardincorporating the variable speed drive attachment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view on line 2-2, FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the variable speed attachmentembodying the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on line 44, FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on line 55, FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 66, FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 7-7, FIG. 4; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 88, FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the variable speed drive attachmentof the present invention is shown and described with reference to aconventional carding machine comprising the usual lickerin 1, cardcylinder 2 and doffer 3 in the order in which the fibers pass throughthe card from left to right. Prior to the present invention, the dofier3 in a conventional card is driven from the lickerin pulley 4 directlyto the barrow pulley 5 by a belt (not shown). The barrow pulley 5 ismounted on a shaft 6 together with a gear 7 which meshes with the doffergear 8 to drive the dofler 3. In the conventional card the speed of thedofier 3 is changed and consequently the production rate of the card ischanged by selectively interchanging the gear 7, and starting andstopping of the doffer 3 is accomplished by engagement anddisengagement, respectively, of the selected gear 7 with the doffer gear8, for example, by means of a pivoted lever 9. This system performsentirely satisfactorily at dolfer speeds below 10 revolutions per minutewhich corresponds to a production rate of the card of approximately 14pounds of fibers per hour.

According to the present invention a variable speed drive attachment isprovided which may be readily and easily incorporated or attached toconventional carding machines and interposed in the drive from thelickerin pulley 4 to the barrow pulley 5 of the card, for example, asgenerally designated A in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings, the attachment ofthe present invention comprises a frame member 10 including a verticalflat plate portion 11 of generally inverted L-shape providing adepending leg portion 12, and having an integral laterally projectingarm portion 13 at the opposite end of the plate portion 11 from thedepending leg portion 12. The arm portion 13 has a depending lug 13a(see FIG. 4) at its outer free end. Mounted at the lower end of thedepending leg portion 12 of the frame 10 is a shaft 14 which projectslaterally from the frame 10 generally parallel to the arm portion 13thereof and has notably journaled thereon a combination pulley 15. Thepulley 15 includes an outer V-belt pulley 16 of predetermined diameterand inwardly thereof a flat-belt pulley 17 of a predetermined diametersmaller than the pulley 16.

Underlying the laterally projecting arm portion 13 of the frame 10 is arod or shaft 18 which has its opposite ends mounted respectively in theupright plate portion 11 of the frame and the depending lug 13a of saidarm portion 13 so that said shaft 18 is disposed in spaced parallelrelation to the shaft 14. A stirrup or subframe, generally designated20, is pivotally mounted on the shaft 18 for outwardly adjacent thedepending lug portion 13a of the lateral arm 13. The lower ends of thetwo arms 21 and 22 are rigidly connected together by means of a rod 23'and the upper end portion of the arm 22 is inclined inwardly asindicated at 22a, terminating at its upper or free end in a verticallyextending terminal portion 22!) disposed substantially in verticalalignment above the arm portion 21 of the subframe A shaft 24 has itsopposite ends mounted in the arms 21 and 22 of the subframe 20 and isdisposed in spaced parallel relation to the shaft 14 mounting thecombinat-ion pulley -15. J om'nalled on the shaft 24 by means ofbearings 25 is a sleeve 26 on which is mounted a variable speed pulley Vcomprising a pair of cone-faced end pulley members 25 and 26 disposed inpredetermined fixed spaced relation with respect to each other and anintermediate double-faced cone pulley member 28. Bridging the gap orspace between the confronting cone-faces of the end disk members 25 and26 is a plurality of pins 27 arranged at 90 spaced intervalscircumferentially of the shaft 24.

These pins 27 have their opposite ends fixedly mounted in the end diskmembers 25 and 26 and are disposed in accurate parallelism with respectto the shaft 24, for example, as best shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of thedrawings.

The double cone-faced pulley member 28 is slid'ably mounted on thesleeve 26 and pins 27 and to minimize wear the shaft and pin openingsthrough the pulley member 28 are lined with suitable bushings of Teflon,nylon, or like wear-resistant material.

An endless V-belt 29 is mounted on the pulley 16 on shaft 14 and betweenthe fixed end disk 26 and adjacent :face of the double-facedintermediate cone member 28 of the variable pulley on the shaft 24.

In accordance with the present invention, pivotal movement of thesubframe 20 towards the combination pulley 15 may be predeterminedly setand limited by means of a stop screw 30 which is threaded in a laterallyprojecting .lug 210 on the arm 21 of the subframe 20 and engages againstthe confronting surface of a depending lug 11a on the plate portion 11of the frame 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawing. A locknut 31 is provided to secure the screw 30 in the position to which it isadjusted. The subframe 20 normally is retained in the limit positiondetermined by the stop screw 30 by means of a tension spring 32 one endof which may be hooked over the rod 23 of the subf-rame 20 as shown at33 in FIG. 4, and the other end connected to the depending leg portion12 of the frame 10 by a screw 34, as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings.

The variable speed attachment of the present invention may beoperatively mounted on a conventional carding machine by means of amount-ing bracket 35 secured by bolts 36 to the upright plate portion 11of the frame 10 and to the longitudinal frame structure of the card bymeans of bolts 37 through the elongated openings 37a provided in the topface of the bracket 35.

As previously stated, the variable speed drive attach- "ment isinterposed in the drive from the lickerin pulley 4 "to the barrow pulley5. This is readily accomplished by Pivotal movement of the subframe 20and the variable speed pulley V on the shaft 24 in the clockwisedirection with respect to FIG. 1 away from the combination pulley 15against the action of the spring 32 may be accomplished, for example, bymeans of a rod or cable 40 connected between the upper end 2217 of thesu'bframe arm 22 and a foot operated treadle or lever 41 adjacent theoperators station.

As previously described, the pivotally mounted subframe 20 carrying thevariable speed pulley V is urged by the spring 32 against the fixed stopprovided by lug 11a engaged by the adjustable stop screw 30 thereby predeterminedly limiting rotation of the subframe 20 and variable speedpulley V towards the fixedly mounted combination pulley 15 so that byproper adjustment of the stop screw 30 the maximum speed at which thedoifer is driven may be predeterminedly set or limited. Since the V-beltlengths are finite, changes in the position of the variable pulley Vrelative to the lickerin pulley 4 and the pulley 15 causes the pitchdiameter of the variable pulley V to adjust or alter. Consequently, whenthe foot treadle or lever 41 is actuated by the operator of the card tocause the subframe 20' and its vaniablc pulley V to be pivotallyactuated in the clock wise direction with respect to FIG. 1 away fromthe pulley 15, the ratios of the variable pulley V will be progressivelychanged so as to drive the pulley 15 at a progressively slower speed asdesired by the operator to enable him to perform the manual task ofputting up the end or to start and stop rotation of the dolfer. Thus,the operator may slow the speed of the drive sufiiciently to enable thegear 7 to be engaged and disengaged with the doder gear 8 without damageto the gears as would occur at normal high speed operation of the card.Also the production rate of the card may be slowed sufliciently toenable the operator to put up the end with the doffer still turning andthe use of a foot actuated treadle or lever 41 in conjunction with theattachment of the present invention frees the operatolgs two hands to dothis which normally is a two-handed tas While a particular embodimenthas been shown and described, the invention is not to be limited theretoand it is intended that changes and modifications may be made andincorporated within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. For carding machines, a variable speed attachment comprising a mainframe, a first shaft mounted on said main frame, a combination pulley onsaid first shaft having a V-belt portion and a fiat belt portion, asubframe pivotally mounted on said main frame for pivotal movementtoward and away from the first shaft, another shaft carried by saidsubframe parallel to said first shaft and movable with the subframetoward and from the first shaft, a variable speed pulley mounted on theother shaft having fixedly spaced inner and outer cone disks and anintermediate double-cone disk slidable therebetween defining a pair ofpulley grooves, a first V-belt mounted on the V-belt portion of thecombination pulley on the first shaft and the variable pulley on theother shaft, 2. second V-belt mounted in the other groove of thevariable pulley and on a drive pulley driven by the carding machine,adjustable stop means carried by the sub-frame and engageable with themain frame to predeterminedly limit movement of the subframe and othershaft toward thefirst shaft and thereby'selectively set the maximumspeed at which the pulley on the first shaft is driven by said V- belt,spring means normally urging the subframe and said other shaft to thelimit position determined by said stop means, and means for actuatingthe subframe and other shaft relative to said limit position withrespect to the first shaft and thereby vary the pitch diameter of thevariable pulley on the other shaft and correspondingly change the speedat which the combination pulley on the first shaft is driven by saidbelt.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for actuatingthe subframe comprises a foottreadle for pivotal mounting adjacent theoperators station at one end of the machine and a member connectedbetween said treadle and the subframe.

3. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein a second shaft is mountedon the main frame in spaced par allel relation to the first shaft, thesubframe is pivotally mounted on said second shaft for movement towardand away from the first shaft, and the variable speed pulley is mountedon a third shaft carried by the subframe parallel to the first shaft andmovable with the subframe toward and from the first shaft.

4. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the main frame of theattachment includes an upright flat plate portion for mounting at oneside of a carding machine and a laterally projecting arm portionextending substantially normal to said plate portion, and the subframeis suspended from the projecting arm portion of the main frame formovement toward and away from the first shaft.

5. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 wherein the main frame of theattachment includes an upright flat plate portion for mounting at oneside of a carding machine and a laterally projecting arm portionextending substantially normal to said plate portion, the first shaft ismounted on and projects from the plate portion of the main frame, asecond shaft underlies the projecting arm portion of the frame in spacedparallel relation to the first shaft, the subframe is pivotally mountedon said second shaft for movement toward and away from the first shaft,and the variable speed pulley is mounted on a third shaft carried by thesubframe parallel to the first shaft and movable with the subframetoward and from the first shaft.

6. An attachment as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for actuatingthe subframe comprises a foottreadle for pivotal mounting adjacent theoperators station at one end of the machine and a member connectedbetween said treadle and the subframe.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,549,637 4/1951Reeves 74--230.-17 2,591,746 4/1952 Torn 74-23017 X 2,639,569 5/1953Pasturczak 74230.17 X 2,942,447 6/ 1960 Rickel et al 74230.17 X

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

DON A. WAITE, Examiner.

L. H. GERIN, Assistant Examiner.

1. FOR CARDING MACHINES, A VARIABLE SPEED ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A MAINFRAME, A FIRST SHAFT MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN FRAME, A COMBINATION PULLEY ONSAID FIRST SHAFT HAVING A V-BELT PORTION AND A FLAT BELT PORTION, ASUBFRAME PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENTTOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE FIRST SHAFT, ANOTHER SHAFT CARRIED BY SAIDSUBFRAME PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST SHAFT AND MOVABLE WITH THE SUBFRAMETOWARD AND FROM THE FIRST SHAFT, A VARIABLE SPEED PULLEY MOUNTED ON THEOTHER SHAFT HAVING FIXEDLY SPACED INNER AND OUTER CONE DISKS AND ANINTERMEDIATE DOUBLE-CONE DISK SLIDABLE THEREBETWEEN DEFINING A PAIR OFPULLEY GROOVES, A FIRST V-BELT MOUNTED ON THE V-BELT PORTION OF THECOMBINATION PULLEY ON THE FIRST SHAFT AND THE VARIABLE PULLEY ON THEOTHER SHAFT, A SECOND V-BELT MOUNTED IN THE OTHER GROOVE OF THE VARIABLEPULLEY AND ON A DRIVE PULLEY DRIVEN BY THE CARDING MACHINE, ADJUSTABLESTOP MEANS CARRIED BY THE SUBFRAME AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE MAIN FRAME TOPREDETERMINEDLY LIMIT MOVEMENT OF THE SUBFRAME AND OTHER SHAFT TOWARDTHE FIRST SHAFT AND THEREBY SELECTIVELY SET THE MAXIMUM SPEED AT WHICHTHE PULLEY ON THE FIRST SHAFT IS DRIVEN BY SAID VBELT, SPRING MEANSNORMALLY URGING THE SUBFRAME AND SAID OTHER SHAFT TO THE LIMIT POSITIONDETERMINED BY SAID STOP MEANS, AND MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SUBFRAME ANDOTHER SHAFT RELATIVE TO SAID LIMIT POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRSTSHAFT AND THEREBY VARY THE PITCH DIAMETER OF THE VARIABLE PULLEY ON THEOTHER SHAFT AND CORRESPONDINGLY CHANGE THE SPEED AT WHICH THECOMBINATION PULLEY ON THE FIRST SHAFT IS DRIVEN BY SAID BELT.